Seniors see significance in new flagpole in Huntington Beach

There aren’t too many World War II veterans left at the Huntington Landmark Senior Adult Community in Huntington Beach, but Bill Quillen is one of them.

Quillen, 94, said he served as a military police officer in the U.S. Army during the war. He was stationed in Italy for more than a year.

Quillen enjoys living at Huntington Landmark, where a sizable percentage of the 2,000 residents are veterans.

“This community is very unified,” he said. “It’s almost like a little city. We just don’t have a Starbucks and a hamburger joint.”

What the community does have is patriotism, and that’s what made Wednesday morning so special: A flag-raising ceremony was held at the community’s new flagpole.

With May being Military Appreciation Month and Memorial Day coming up on May 31, it seemed like a good time to do it.

Members of the American Legion Newport Harbor Post 91 honor guard installed the American flag on the pole, which stands at the corner of Greenfield Lane and Oakridge Lane, just past the community’s security gate. The flag was presented thanks to a donation by Huntington Landmark resident Tom Tullius, a U.S. Navy veteran from the Vietnam War who is a member of Post 91.

Residents and military veterans look on during a flag-raising ceremony on Wednesday morning at Huntington Landmark Senior Adult Community in Huntington Beach.

(Kevin Chang / Staff Photographer)

Landmark resident Jerry Lipson was credited with being persistent about making the change, leading to the project being completed. The flagpole was moved from a previous location down the street, where it was partially obstructed by a large tree.

“We moved it so when people come through the gates they can see it better,” said Huntington Landmark project supervisor Gerri Miller. “It’s better to honor the flag at that location. But it took a while, because of the pandemic, to get the permit.”

Miller added that it was nice to have a large get-together, especially after the annual Veteran’s Day breakfast was canceled last year due to COVID-19. About 100 community members attended the flag-raising ceremony.

One of them was Walter White, 86, who said he spent 28 years in the U.S. Coast Guard.

“I think it was great to have a nice, patriotic ceremony to remind us of the importance of our country and patriotism,” White said. “From a political standpoint, I’m disappointed they’re not teaching more of the history of our country and our founding fathers in our schools. But it was great to get our community together. You can see around here people really feel very strongly about the country and honoring our flag.”

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